National Graduate Development Programme 2017 - Local Government Association
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National Graduate Development
Programme 2017
Candidate information brochure
The National Graduate Development programme – 2016 council information pack 1
Local councils need people with the leadership and management skills to shape its future, and the national graduate development programme (ngdp) for local government exists to meet this need.
Introduction
When you think of your local council, what first comes to mind: council
taxes, libraries, and rubbish collection? If any of these things pop into your
head, you would be right, but what you might not know is that councils do
so much more.
Councils provide a huge range of services to local people and employ
millions of others across the country. From making sure our children get
access to a top quality education to supporting businesses to thrive in
our local areas, councils are helping people every day to live happy and
prosperous lives.
But it’s not just the services councils provide, it’s the people that work for
councils who are truly making a difference. Councils are full of people who
have chosen to work in local government because they want to help others
and make a difference to people’s lives and the environment in which
they live. After many years working in local government, in a wide range
of roles, I can honestly say that it is tremendously rewarding. If you have
ever thought about working in local government, our national graduate
development programme for local government (ngdp) is the perfect place
to start.
The ngdp will give you a broad understanding of local government and
give you hands on experience working for a council, helping you to
develop your leadership skills for a long and rewarding career. If you want
a career that literally changes people’s lives, working in a council, our
ngdp is the perfect answer.
Best wishes,
Mark Lloyd
Chief Executive
Local Government Association
The National Graduate Development Programme 2017 Candidate information brochure 3
Contents
What is the ngdp? 6
Learning and development 7
Benefits 8
Participating councils 8
ngdp stories 10
How to apply 12
Application progression timeline 13
FAQs 14
Questions for Stage 1 14
Questions for Stage 2 15
Questions for Stage 3 16
Questions for Stage 4 17
4 The National Graduate Development Programme 2017 Candidate information brochure
The National Graduate Development Programme 2017 Candidate information brochure 5
What is the ngdp?
The ngdp is a two-year graduate We are looking for people who have the
management development programme, right values and attitudes and who can
run by the Local Government Association demonstrate their motivation for a career
(LGA). in the public sector.
The programme has been set up to provide These are:
local councils with the high-calibre managers
that communities need by giving committed 1. working with others
graduates the training and opportunities to 2. persuasive communication
make a positive impact. We provide you with
experience working for a dynamic, exciting 3. planning and organisation
and socially responsible employer: the ngdp
4. drive for results
is your launch pad to a successful leadership
career. 5. analysis and problem solving
Our trainees are employed by a participating 6. motivation for learning and
local council on a two-year, fixed-term personal resilience
contract and enjoy placements in key
areas such as policy and strategy, front-line 7. commitment to local government
service delivery and operations. This broad and the wider community
experience enables trainees to form a real 8. leadership potential.
and detailed understanding of the many
different aspects of local government and The ngdp is highly regarded by councils,
the issues relating to delivering services graduates and the wider sector, ranked in
to local communities. Over the two years, the Times Top 100 Graduate Employers
trainees also benefit from being part of a and Guardian UK 300. It has a wide alumni
national peer group, joining an established network working at senior levels across the
knowledge-sharing network and participating public sector, having provided a pipeline of
in an accredited learning and development consistently high calibre trainees to over
programme. 150 authorities through nineteen cohorts.
The ngdp likes to recruit graduates from
all different backgrounds, universities and
degree disciplines; our aim is to reflect the
diverse communities that we serve.
6 The National Graduate Development Programme 2017 Candidate information brochureLearning and development
The learning and development programme Careers after the ngdp
is currently delivered through residential • 89 per cent of our graduates are employed in
modules, distance learning, networking and permanent jobs within one year of the ngdp
a variety of regional events. Our trainees are • 88 per cent of ngdp alumni are employed
expected to gain a qualification in leadership by a local council when they finish the
and management by the conclusion of the programme, over half of whom in the same
programme. local authority where they were placed for
the first two years after the programme
The overall purpose of the programme is to
develop future leaders and managers within • 85 per cent percent of ngdp alumni who
local government. are currently working outside of the public
sector have been moving between public
The objectives of the programme are: and private sector jobs since they finished
• to enable participants to critically evaluate the programme
the challenges facing local government
• over 70 per cent of the ngdp alumni who
• to provide participants with high level transition to a role in the private sector work
capabilities in strategic management and in a managerial role
leadership, grounded in a public sector
context Although you are expected to work hard
and pursue study outside of working hours,
• to provide participants with a strong
you’ll find that local councils are very flexible
understanding of key local government
employers and supportive of a genuine
areas of work and management
work/life balance.
• to enhance personal effectiveness as
a leader and manager • There are no standardised regional
• to increase self-awareness and variations for salary progression; however,
awareness of others. in the current economic climate you may
find during your time on the programme
Content will include: that salary increases may be affected by
• models of leadership development local conditions.
• financial management training
• procurement and commissioning in local
authorities
• project and people management
• community engagement
• how to work in a political context
• how to deliver results
• developing self.
The National Graduate Development Programme 2017 Candidate information brochure 7Benefits Participating
councils
There
The ngdpareoffers
and Wales and
management
over a350 localofcouncils
range benefitsintoEngland
its
everyone is eligible to apply
trainees:
Councils
to be part of the ngdp. Not all local councils In total there are five possible types
• participate
£24,174 (pluseachinner or we
year: outer London
usually work with of council in England.
weighting, if applicable)
over 50 different local authorities. For a
• list
generous holiday entitlement
of the councils who took part last year 1. County councils – cover the whole
• and thosescheme
pension signed up for the coming year, county and provide services across these
please see our website. Candidates who areas including children’s services and
• excellent work/life balance
are successful in the selection process will adult social care. Within the area covered
• two year fixed-term contract. by a county council there will be more
be provided with a full list of participating
councils
The ngdp’sfor their cohort
baseline salaryinisearly
fixedApril 2017.
across than one district council.
all participating local councils, but all other 2. District councils – cover a smaller
We give you the opportunity to express
benefits received will depend on the policy area, providing services such as housing,
your location preferences by council and
of the council employing each graduate local planning, waste and leisure but not
by region, but we will also expect you
trainee. They typically include generous children’s services or adult social care.
to be flexible about where you will work
holiday entitlement and eligibility to join the They can be called district, borough or
depending on the supply of and demand
Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). city councils.
for specific placements. We will try and take
into account any special circumstances, 3.Unitary authorities – there is just one
wherever possible. level of local government responsible for
all local services. Unitary authorities can
be called a council (eg Medway Council),
a city council (eg Nottingham City
Council) or borough council (eg Reading
Borough Council).
4. London boroughs – each of the 32
boroughs is a unitary authority.
5. Metropolitan districts – effectively
unitary authorities, the name being
a reference to a past organisational
arrangement. They can be called
metropolitan borough or city councils.
8 The National Graduate Development Programme 2017 Candidate information brochureLocal authorities
England and Wales
Local authorities
England and Wales
1
2
3
4
2
1
3
4
5 16
6 17
7 18
8 19
9 20
10 21
11 22 26
12 23 11 27
13 24 5
10 26
8
14 25 6
7 9
15
13 14
15 12
22 24
18 23
17
16 21
20 25 59
19
60
29 61
30 27
28 44 62
28
31 63
29 45
32
30 46
33 36
31 47 40 41
35
32 48 34
33 49
37 38
34 50
35 51 39
42 44
36 52 43 63
37 53 48 54
52
45 53 55
38 54 49
47
39 55 46 50
61
40 56 51
41 57
57
42 58 58 60
43 59
62
56
78
81
80 84
69
70 85
82
67 87
65 79 83
86
64 68
88 90
66 89 91
92
104 93
71
105
97
73 94 117 118
95 96 100
64 98 99
72 101 112
65 102
113 116
66 103 114
67
68 115
69
70 78
106
71 107 79
72 109 80
108 111
110
73 81
75 76 77 82
83
84
74 85
86
112 87
94 100 106 113 88
95 101 107 114 89
74 96 102 108 115 90
75 97 103 109 116 91
76 98 104 110 117 92
77 99 105 111 118 93
The National Graduate Development Programme 2017 Candidate information brochure 9ngdp stories
Abbey City of George Nottinghamshire
Wolverhampton Council County Council
I applied to the ngdp in my final year of Being on the ngdp has provided me with
university having always been interested in opportunity and agency, enabling me to reach
the public sector, and I learned more about my full potential and to help local residents
the scheme at Wolverhampton through from the most vulnerable sections of society
networking with an existing ngdp graduate at – so far my work has focussed on children’s
a public sector careers event. Wolverhampton social care and children and adolescent
is in its fourth year of participating in the mental health services.
scheme, has flexible placement opportunities At the start of April I started working in the
and is really well supported by placement team responsible for commissioning child
coordinators and existing graduates. It is and adolescent mental health services.
managed by two heads of service who are This has been my favourite placement so
ex-ndgp grads! Six months into the scheme, far as the topic area appeals to my altruistic
I completed my first placement which sensibilities and has also been tailored to my
was governance based. This was a varied self-identified personal development needs.
role, predominantly based in Democratic After my first placement I felt I needed more
Support, and involved liaising with politicians, experience working with partners across
coordinating various committee meetings, organisations and in this placement my
transformational change and support with work has involved working with stakeholders
key mayoral events like Remembrance across public health, NHS England, clinical
Sunday. One of my first projects was being commissioning groups, councils and, of
responsible for organising a mayoral event course, service users.
with high profile guests from overseas, in
partnership with Wolverhampton University. Advice for applicants
My main piece of advice for potential
Advice for applicants applicants is to apply! The ngdp is not solely
The scheme is run and managed differently for graduates with specific degrees from
at different councils, so my advice to any certain universities – regardless of your
graduate applying to the scheme is to do academic discipline, if you have a passion
some good research about how the scheme for public service the programme is for
works at the councils of their choice, you. Taking trainees at my authority as an
particularly how placements are secured. example I attained a Bachelor’s in International
Development Studies from a former
polytechnic, one of my colleagues has a
Master’s degree in International Relations from
a university overseas and the third graduate
has a PhD in Material Sciences – there is no
cookie cutter applicant that the LGA looks for,
have confidence in your abilities and apply.
10 The National Graduate Development Programme 2017 Candidate information brochureToby London Borough
of Brent
I have done two of my four placements so far.
I started in the leader of the council’s office,
which gave me a really interesting strategic
overview of how a local authority is run at
the highest level. I also gained invaluable
experience of working at a political interface,
and learning about political sensitivity and
awareness. Not many local government
officers get this experience early in their
careers so having worked directly with
politicians should put me in a strong position
in my future career.
In my second placement I was based in
the Employment, Skills and Enterprise
team, where my role focused mainly on
commissioning. My favourite project so far
has been to create a package of bespoke
employment support for individuals with
learning disabilities. I was given considerable
scope and responsibility to identify what was
needed, consult with residents and external
providers and present a business case to
senior managers to deliver a brand new
service for people with learning disabilities.
Advice for applicants
My advice to anyone applying to the ngdp is
to do your research. Find out as much as you
can about current trends and buzzwords in
local government, and keep up-to-date with
major policy changes in the news.
The National Graduate Development Programme 2017 Candidate information brochure 11How to apply
Have you: The application process is split into
four stages:
obtained a 1st, 2:1 or 2:2
undergraduate degree? Stage 1
• Your degree can be in any discipline. • Electronic application form via the
• If your degree was not obtained in the ngdp website
UK, it must be the equivalent of a UK • Online numerical, verbal and situational
degree and meet our minimum grade. judgement tests
• You are eligible to apply whether you
received your degree last year, twenty
years ago or if you are due to graduate Stage 2
in the summer of 2017. We do ask you to
• Video interview
submit either a copy of your degree or
your transcript (showing your predicated
degree) when submitting your application.
• You must have obtained a 1st, 2:1 or 2:2 Stage 3
undergraduate degree by end of July 2017. • A half-day, in-person assessesment
centre
got the eligibility to work in the UK?
• You must have the right to work in the UK
without a certificate of sponsorship. We do Stage 4
not apply for certificate of sponsorship for
• An average of three formal interviews
any graduates.
with councils. The exact number
of interviews varies based on your
got an interest in local government availability and preferences.
and councils?
We are looking for the next generation of
@ngdp_LGA #ngdp19
senior managers to work in local councils
www.facebook.com/NGDPLGA/
and across the public sector: you will need
passion and commitment to succeed.
12 The National Graduate Development Programme 2017 Candidate information brochureApplication progression
timeline
24 October 2016 Your application to the ngdp is made up of several components.
to You must complete a profile including your education and
11 January 2017 employment history, then answer several questions and take verbal
and numerical reasoning tests. You will also complete our situational
judgement test.
All components must be completed by the closing date for your
application to be considered.
Outcome of Stage One will be announced by 26 January 2017.
Early February 2017 Candidates will then complete a video interview.
Outcome of Stage Two will be announced by 23 February 2017.
Throughout Every candidate who has passed the video interview stage will be
March 2017 invited to attend a half-day, in-person assessment centre. Using
exercises designed for the ngdp, our assessment centres will give
you a flavour of the ngdp experience so you and our team can
decide if it’s the right next step in your career.
Outcome of Stage Three will be announced by 5 April 2017.
During April Candidates who pass the assessment centre are given several
and May 2017 opportunities to meet the councils offering places as part of the
programme. Candidates request interviews at specific councils
and in broader geographical regions of interest. Interviews will be
arranged by the ngdp team depending on candidates’ preferences
and the availability of interview dates and spaces.
If you are unavailable for specific dates in April and May it is
important you let the ngdp team know as soon as possible.
Councils will make their offers of employment to candidates. Based
on their interview outcomes, each candidate then decides where
they want to work. Once an offer has been accepted, the candidate
becomes a member of Cohort 19 and their start date with the
council will be arranged for autumn 2017.
Outcome of Stage Four will be announced by 30 June 2017.
The National Graduate Development Programme 2017 Candidate information brochure 13Frequently asked questions
Questions for Stage 1
Q. Is the application process adaptable Q. I require extra time with online tests
for candidates with disabilities? due to my disability.
The ngdp is seeking to recruit trainees who We can offer candidates extra time for the
can represent the diverse communities online tests and assessments centres if they
that councils serve and so we encourage have documented evidence of a disability.
applications from candidates with disabilities. After completing the ngdp’s online application
If you have any needs or are having difficulty form, candidates who have a disability are
applying because of a disability, we will take strongly encouraged to send a copy of their
your details and pass them onto one of the disability report to ngdp.support@local.gov.uk
members of the graduate recruitment team.
This will be treated with strict confidence
Please contact ngdp.support@local.gov.uk and only used to make decisions about extra
for assistance. time. After the need for extra time has been
verified, we will work with our test providers
Q: Why do you use online testing? and make the appropriate arrangements.
Our whole selection process is built to
measure candidates against the ngdp’s Q. I applied to the ngdp a few years ago.
key skills and behaviours. The ngdp uses Can I apply again?
online tests to help evaluate a large number The ngdp’s assessment process changes
of candidates fairly and equally at the start every year. Although you weren’t successful
of our assessment process. The verbal previously, you may have gained the skills
reasoning test and numerical reasoning test and experience we need this year.
measure your communication, analysis and
problem solving skills. We strongly encourage
candidates to practice these tests in advance
of applying to the ngdp.
Our situational judgement test reflects daily
working life as an ngdp trainee, measuring
all of our key skills and behaviours. You can
prepare for this test by reviewing our key
skills and behaviours.
14 The National Graduate Development Programme 2017 Candidate information brochureQuestions for Stage 2
Q. Why do the ngdp use video interviews?
We introduced video interviewing in 2016 to
give our team a wider picture of candidates’
interest in the ngdp and passion for working in
local government. Candidates’ answers will
be assessed against the ngdp’s key skills and
behaviours.
Q. What is the video interview?
The ngdp will send you details of how to log
into the video interview portal. You are given
the opportunity to practice taking questions
before starting the interview. Once you have
entered the interview, you will be asked a
number of questions, recording an answer
after each question. You will be able to watch
your answer and re-record a new answer
once per question, should you wish to do so.
Q. How should I prepare for the video
interview?
Although this is not a formal interview, make
sure you have chosen an appropriate location
for you to record your responses: somewhere
quiet, private and bright will reduce the
number of distractions for you and for our
assessors. Councils may see clips of your
answers prior to in-person interviews, so keep
in mind that you are making a first impression.
Please review our key skills and behaviours
in advance and ensure you have a good
understanding of the ngdp.
Q. Who will be scoring my video interview?
Trained members of the ngdp graduate team
and/or trained assessors.
The National Graduate Development Programme 2017 Candidate information brochure 15Frequently asked questions Questions for Stage 3 Q. I am not available to attend any of the assessment centres dates. Unfortunately places at the assessment centres are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to limited space at our facilities and the requirement for group work with other candidates as part of the assessment centre, we are unable to offer alternative dates for assessment. Q. What happens at the assessment centres? The assessment centre will usually last four hours and will consist of a written exercise, a group exercise and an individual briefing exercise. There are usually 10-20 candidates at each assessment centre so you will have the opportunity to meet other potential trainees. The ngdp team will also be on hand to answer any questions and provide information about your next steps. Q. Can I claim for expenses for attending the assessment centre? Yes, however we will only reimburse travel expenses and there is an upper limit for all claims. You must keep all your receipts in order to claim reimbursement. Q. When will I know the outcome? The assessment centre outcomes will be announced by 5 April 2017. Q. Will I get feedback from the assessment centre? All candidates who attend an assessment centre will be given feedback on their performance. If you are successful and enrol on to cohort 19, this will be given by your support co-ordinator within the council. If you are unsuccessful, you can arrange telephone feedback with a member of the ngdp team. 16 The National Graduate Development Programme 2017 Candidate information brochure
Question for Stage 4
Q. How do I know what council to choose? Q: Can I defer if I am offered a job at the
There are over 350 authorities in England and end of the assessment process but do not
Wales but not all local councils participate want to start work for another year?
each year: we usually work with between 40 No, unfortunately we do not offer deferrals as
and 70 different local councils. For a list of council participation changes each year. Our
the councils who took part last year and those selection process is also updated annually
signed up for the coming year, please see our and so candidates must go through each
participating authorities page. Candidates stage to be fairly and equally assessed
who are successful in the selection process against other candidates.
will be provided with a full list of participating
Q: Do you pay relocation expenses?
councils for their cohort in early April 2017.
It will depend on the benefits package offered by
Q. I only want to work in one specific individual authorities – some do and some do not.
location (ie London).
If you pass the assessment centre, you Q. I have exams over the interview period.
will be given the opportunity to rank your Due to the nature of the council’s working
top three councils and top three regions pattern, it is extremely difficult to arrange
of preference. In some regions and/or for interview times around each individual
specific councils, we have a higher level candidate. Please email ngdp.support@local.
of demand for interview spaces then there gov.uk as soon as you know that final exams
are spaces available. While we will do our may clash with interviews.
utmost to ensure that candidates have an
equal opportunity to interview with councils
of preference, we cannot issue guarantees.
It is also the prerogative of each council to
select their trainees on the basis of interview
performance. If you are interest in working
for a specific council or in a specific region,
we recommend that you attend as many
interviews as the ngdp can arrange for you
within that region/area. This increases your
chances of obtaining one or more job offers
in or near the place you prefer.
If you have a question which isn’t
covered above, please contact:
ngdp.support@local.gov.uk
The National Graduate Development Programme 2017 Candidate information brochure 1718 The National Graduate Development Programme 2017 Candidate information brochure
Local Government Association Local Government House Smith Square London SW1P 3HZ Telephone 020 7664 3000 Fax 020 7664 3030 Email info@local.gov.uk www.local.gov.uk © Local Government Association, October 2016 For a copy in Braille, larger print or audio, please contact us on 020 7664 3000. We consider requests on an individual basis. REF 11.20
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